Door.



. PATENTED AUG. 1, 1905..

PI Wr DOOR.

APPLICATION TILED MAY 3, 1904:.

Witnesses mi W/lf wmmlnventor.

' I Attorneys UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DOOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented. Aug. 1, 1905.

Application filed May 3,1904. Serial No. 206, 32.

Be it known that I, FLOYD W. NEWMAN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Bradford, in the county of McKean and State of Pennsylvania,have invented a new and useful Door, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to doors, window-shu tters, or similar closures,and has for its objects to produce, a comparatively simple inexpensivedevice of this character composed of a series of leaves or sectionsadapted when the closure is in open position to fold or nest intocompact form, thus insuring the closure'assuming an u nobstructingposition when open and onein which the closure may be locked in itsclosed or other desired position and will when released moveautomatically to open position.

the arrow. Fig. 4 is a sectional elevation,

the section being taken on the line 4 4 of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a detailsectional elevation, on an enlarged scale, taken on the line 55 of Fig.3.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates the vertical side bar or stileof a door or window casing or frame of the usual or anyappropriateconstruction and material and having pivoted thereto by screw-bolts oranalogous attaching devices 2 a series of leaves or sections 3,preferably composed from sheet metal and constituting the door orclosure, the outer ends of said leaves being individually pivoted bymeans of bolts or analogous members 4 to a vertical connecting member orstrip 5. The leaves or sections 3, which are of uniform width and havetheir inner ends cut away or rabbeted, as herein shown at 6, have theiradjacent or meeting edges slightly overlapped, whereby as the closure ismoved to open position said leaves will ride upon and fold neatly andcompactly one over another, as

seen in Fig. 2, while the heads of the screws or devices 2 arecountersunk in order that they may offer no hindrance to this action orfold- 1 ing of the leaves, the heads of the bolts 4 being similarlycountersunk to avoid contact With the frame-bar 1. It is to be notedthat owing to the inner ends of the leaves being rabbeted, as shown,they will not project beyond the adjacent edge of the stile during theopening movement of the doorand that the connecting member 5 is parallelto and travels in parallelism with the stile during the movement of thedoor to open or closed position and that during such movement thesections 3 rotate upon the bolts 2 as axes.

Formed in or otherwise provided on the connecting member 5 and inalinement with the outer end of one of the sections 3 is a hollowenlargement or case 7, transversely through which and beyond theadjacent end of the section 3 there extends a knob-spindle 8, carrying apair of knobs 9, of the usual construction and disposed on the oppositesides of the door, there being fixed upon the spindle 8, Within thecase, a disk or other suitable operating member 11, having pivotallyconnected therewith a pair of oppositely-- extending latching members orbolts 12 13. The bolt 12 normally projects through asuitable opening inthe casing for engagement with a keeper provided on the adjacent doorofa spring 16, surrounding the spindle 8,

Within the casing, it being apparent that when the spindle is turned inthe proper direction both bolts will be simultaneously retracted againstthe action of the spring for releasing the door. It may be said that thebolt 13 through its engagement with the keeper 15 serves, as isapparent, to lock the door in its closed position and that during themovement ofthe door from closed to open position the same may be lockedatany intermediate point or position bymoving the bolt 13 intoengagement with the keeper, which while in such engagement willobviously prevent movement of the door in either direction.

For moving the door automatically to open position when released, asabove explained, I provide a series of actuating springs 17 housed,respectively, within't'ubular sleeves or casings 18, seated inappropriate sockets provided in the stile 1, there being a number of thesprings corresponding to and coiled, respectively, around thepivotingbolts 2. These springs and their attendant mechanisms areidentical in construction and operation, and I will therefore describebut one in detail, referring more particularly to Fig. 5, in Which itwill be seen that each spring has one of its ends fixed in anappropriate manner, as at 19, to the wall of the sleeve 18, Which inturn is fixed against rotation within stile 1, the other end of thespring being fixed to a primary cam member or head 20, fixed upon thebolt 2 and provided with cam-faces 21, adapted for cooperation withcorresponding cam-faces 22, provided on the adjacent end of the sleeve18, for a purpose which will presently appear. The head 20 constitutes aclosure for one end of the sleeve, the other end of which is closed bymeans of a secondary head 23, likewise fixed upon the bolt 2 andnormally bearing against the adjacent inner face of the section 3 tomaintain the latter in firm engagement with the head of the bolt.

In practice the springs 17', which are appropriately wound for thepurpose, will serve npon the release of the door to move the sameautomatically to open position by folding the sections 3 one uponanother, it being obvious that during this action the bolts 2 will berotated by their respective springs 17, and that thus each spring willlift the weight of its particular section 3 and a proportionate part ofthe weight of the connecting member When the door is in closed position,with the sections 3 unfolded, the cam-faces 21 22 will cooperate fordrawing the bolts 2 inward With respect to the casings, and consequentlymaintaining the sections 3 firmly and snugly against the adjacent faceof the stile 1. \Vhen, however, the opening movement of the door begins,the cam-faces will coact for moving the bolts longitudinally outwardwith respect to their casings, thus loosening and giving sufficient playto the sections 3 for them to ride readily one upon another in folding.It is apparent that the door when opened will occupy comparativelylittle space and offer practically no obstruction and that in itsmovements or when at rest it will be free from loosencss, rattling, andother similar objectionable features attendant upon doors now in commonuse.

From the foregoing it is apparent that I produce a comparatively simpleinexpensive device admirably adapted for the attainment of the ends inview, it being understood that minor changes in the details ofconstruction herein set forth may be resorted to without departing fromthe spirit of the invention.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is- 1. In a closureof the class described, the combination With a fixed stile, of a seriesof leavesindividually pivoted upon the stile with their adjacentlongitudinal edges overlapped and capable of being turned intolongitudinal alinement to open the closure.a franie-ba r extendingacross the free ends of the series of leaves with the latterimlividually pivoted thereto to effect simultaneous folding of theleaves, and haml-o 'mratcd means carried by the closure for renderingthe same rigid.

2. .ln a closure of the class described, the combination with a fixedstile, of a series of leavesindividually pivoted upon the stile withtheir adjacent longitudinal edges overlapped and capable of being turnedinto longitudinal alinement to open the closure, a frame-bar extendingacross the free ends of the series of ltavcs with the latterindividually pivoted thereto to effect simultaneous folding of theleaves, and means carried by the closure to render the same rigidconsisting of a hamlcontrolled interlocking connection between theframe-bar and one of the leaves.

3. In a closure of the class described, the combination with a fixedstile, of a series of leaves individually pivoted upon the stile withtheir adjacent longitudinal edges overlapped and capable of being turnedinto longitudinal alinement to open the closure, a frame-bar extendingacross the free ends of the series of leaves with the latterimlividually pivoted thereto to effect simultaneous folding of theleaves, and hand-controlled locking means operating between theframe-bar and one of the leaves and consisting of a lock carried by oneof said members and a keeper carried by the other member.

1. In a closure. of the class described, the combination with a fixedstile, of a series of leaves individually pivoted to the stile withtheir adjacent edges overlapped and capable of being turned intolongitudinal alimunent to open the closure, a frame-bar extending acrossthe free ends of the series of leaves with the latter individuallypivoted thereto, a handled lock carried by the frame-bar, and a keeperupon one of the leaves for engagement with the lock to render thestructure rigid in any position of the leaves.

In a closure of the class described. the combination with a fixed stile,of a plurality of leaves individually pivoted to the stile with theiradjacent edgesoverlapped and capable of being turned into longitudinalalinement to open the closure, :1 frame-bar extending across the freeends of the series of leaves with the latter imlividnally pivotedthereto, a toothed wheel upon the pivotal connection between one of theleaves and the frame-bar, a guide upon said lea f, and a handle-lockcarried by the frame-bar and including a bolt working in the guide andengaging the toothed wheel to render the structure rigid in any positionthereof.

(5. In a device of the class described, the combination with a support,of a plurality of leaves pivotally connected therewith and having theiradjacent edges overlapped, said leaves being movable to folded orunfolded position, means tending constantly to automatically move theleaves to one of said positions, and means for locking them againstmovement.

7. In a device of' the class described, the combination with a support,of a plurality of leaves pivotally connected therewith and adapted tofold one upon another, means tending constantly to automatically movethe leaves to folded position, and means for locking them againstmovement.

8. In a device of the class described, the combination with asupport,'of a plurality of leaves adapted to fold one upon another,pivoting-axles connecting the leaves respectively with the support, aplurality of springs applied respectively to the axles and actingthereon to move the leaves to folded position, and means for locking theleaves against movement.

9. Ina closure of the class described, the combination with a fixedstile, of a series of leaves individually pivoted to the stilewith theiradjacent edges overlapped and capable of being turned into longitudinalalinement in parallelism with the stile, a frame-bar extending acrossthe f-reeends of the series of leaves with the latter individuallypivoted thereto, a

' leaves individually pivoted to the stile and capable of being foldedinto longitudinal'alinement in substantial parallelism with the stile, aframe-bar extending across the free ends of the series of leaves withthe latter individually pivoted thereto, a stationary casing inclosingthe rotatable pivot of one of the leaves, a helical spring within thecasing with one end fixed thereto, a cam-head fixed to the opposite endof the spring, the adjacent end of the casing having a cam-facecooperating with the camhead, and means carried by the frame-bar for Atending across the free ends of the series of leaves with the latterindividually pivoted thereto to effect simultaneous folding of theleaves, and a lock carried by the frame-bar and including a bolt capableof being projected at the outer edge of the bar.

12. In a closure of the class described, the combination with a fixedstile, of a series of leaves individually pivoted upon the stile withtheir adjacent longitudinal edges overlapped and capable of being turnedinto longitudinal alinement to open the closure, a frame-bar extendingacross the free ends of the series of leaves with the latterindividually pivoted thereto to efiect simultaneous folding of theleaves, a keeper carried by one of the leaves, and a lock carried by theframe-bar and provided witha bolt to engage the keeper and also havinganother bolt capable of being projected at the free edge of the bar. I

13. In a closure ofthe class described, the combination with a fixedstile, of a series of leaves individually pivoted upon the stile withtheir adjacent longitudinal edges overlapped and capable of being turnedinto longitudinal alinement to open the closure, a frame-bar extendingacross the free ends of the series of leaves with the latterindividually pivoted thereto to effect simultaneous folding of theleaves, a keeper uponone of the leaves, and a lock carried by theframe-bar and including a tumbler, a bolt actuated by the tumbler andcooperating with the keeper, and another bolt actuated by the tumblerand capable of being projected at the free edge of the frame-bar.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto aifixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

FLOYD W. NEWMAN.

